Ten
by the electric phantom
Summary: A mysterious plane crash leads to The Electric Company and the Pranksters washed up on an island, forced to work together to survive. However, larger forces seem to be working when an ominous poem seems to be a prophecy. Can they get off the island before reaching the final line?
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: Hey, guys! So, JAS and I are co-writing this fic together! We've been preparing for a while, so we hope you enjoy!**

 _Why is it so cold_ , Jessica wondered as she pulled her sweater closer for warmth, _You'd think a plane would be a bit warmer than this_. She glanced around the private jet. Lisa was resting against Hector's shoulder, both of them asleep. Jessica couldn't help but smile. It was so typical of those two. Rather abruptly, a hand came and tapped her shoulder. Looking around wildly, she discovered that it was Danny.

"What's up, Danny?" she asked, masking her annoyance with a smile.

"Granny Rebus says hi," he informed her, "And I was wondering if you knew what song Keith is singing."

"I know as much as you do," she said.

"Well, yeah, but you know him better than anyone else hear," Danny added, "Do you think he'll be doing Ed Sheeran?"

The image of Keith, at a worldwide talent show, sitting alone on the stage playing "Thinking Out Loud" was too preposterous for Jessica to handle. She began to laugh so hysterically that Keith, who had been asleep, joined the conversation.

"I think it could totally happen!" Danny said.

"What could happen?" Keith inquired, confused. Jessica was still laughing and could not even respond.

"Jess, can you breathe for a second?" he begged his best friend. She sobered up for a moment to explain the scenario when a voice came on intercom.

"We are beginning our descent, please make sure your seat belt is fastened and secure."

"Oh my god!" Keith shouted, "We're gonna land in the ocean!"

"Everybody wake up!" Danny shouted.

"HEY, YOU GUYS!" Jessica and Keith hollered, waking up their friends.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Danny asked.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Marcus shouted. He then kicked Francine Carruthers in the shin. She fumbled with her mask for a moment before staring at everyone, completely bewildered.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH IN THE OCEAN AND DIE!" Marcus screamed in his typical obnoxious way.

"No one is dying!" Hector said, "Not yet."

All the shouting finally woke Manny, Annie, and Gilda.

"We'll just use our seats as floatation devices," Keith said calmly, "They're designed to do that."

"Wait, why isn't the pilot giving us instructions?" Gilda inquired logically.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Manny moaned.

"I had an entire baton twirling act ready to go!" Annie complained.

"Do you think tubas sink?" Francine wondered aloud.

"Maybe we'll land near a barnacle mine! My uncle is a barnacle miner."

"Shut up, Marty Farms!"

'MY NAME IS MARCUS BARNES!"

"Everyone shut up!" Lisa screamed.

Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.

"Look, we need to do everything we can to not die. That includes not being overly dramatic and whining."

"I love to whine," Francine muttered darkly.

"Everyone can swim, right?" Gilda asked, "I expect we may need to swim at some point during this." Nods and comments assured her that no one would sink like a rock.

Solemnly, they watched out of their windows as the sea came closer and closer to them. Hector and Lisa grasped each others' hand as if it was a lifeline. Annie had somehow ended up in Danny's lap, where he stroked her hair tenderly. Francine was whispering instructions to Gilda on what to do if a Prankster didn't make it. Manny was sealing his Little Mean Robot into a waterproof container so that he would be alright. Jessica was praying every singe prayer that she knew among several religions. On her right, Marcus was tapping his foot nervously, watching everyone around him. On her left, Keith was watching the water coming closer and closer with wide eyes. When they hit the water, Keith smashed his window. The seats did as they were supposed to and unhinged themselves . Gilda opened the door, allowing them all to be swept up to the surface, leaving the plane to sink. Exhaustion quickly overcame them all, forcing them to lose consciousness.

Marcus blearily opened his eyes. This wasn't his seat. It was softer. He turned his head to the side to see sand. He grinned.

"We made it," he whispered. He got up, walking past the others to a palm tree. It was just like all the other palm trees except that there was a piece of paper attached to it.

 _Ten washed up from the sea one day,_

 _One flew off leaving nine to stay._

 _Nine realized this life was great,_

 _One hit the rocks and then there were eight._

 _Eight realized how to get their fix,_

 _Til two hung around and then there were six._

 _Six were proud they were still alive,_

 _One saw a bird and then there were five._

 _Five realized they didn't want anymore,_

 _One was buried and then there were four._

 _Four tried to seem as happy as could be,_

 _One heard the sea and then there were three._

 _Three pretended they had a clue,_

 _Persephone ensured there were only two._

 _Two seemed to be having fun,_

 _The boy got lost and then there was one._

 _One girl sat watching the tide,_

 _She fell asleep and then they all died._


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: It'll be a bit before we can produce another chapter, so we're giving you two in a row. Enjoy!**

Annie groaned. Her head pounded. Everything was so hot and bright and loud.

No, wait, that was just Marcus screaming.

"Ah! Ah! AH! AAAHHH!" he yelled, each scream increasing in volume as he waved a little piece of paper and ran around in circles.

"Someone shut him up before I do it," Annie grumbled, sitting up, "Hey, where the heck are we?"

"We appear to be on a beach," Gilda supplied, "In a tropical location."

"Thanks," Jessica snapped, "I couldn't tell." She was already standing and was aiding Lisa up.

Hector held both hands up, "Guys, we all just need to chill out."

"We were just in a plane crash," Keith said, "We have a good reason to not be chill at the moment."

"AHH! AHH! AHHHH!" Marcus continued to yell.

"The man said chill!" Danny yelled back, adjusting his fedora, which still somehow was on his head.

Marcus sat down in the sand, out of breath.

"Okay Marcus, let me see," Lisa took the paper from him.

She read it. Reread it. Her eyes widened as she turned the paper over and read it a third time.

"Well?" Francine demanded as Lisa handed it off to Hector, "What does it say?"

"Ten washed up from the sea one day," Hector read, "One flew off leaving nine to stay."

"That sounds like us," Manny commented, "But no one can fly."

"Let's keep it that way," Danny said, "Before we go all Icarus on this."

"Nine realized this life was great, One hit the rocks and then there were eight," Hector continued, leaving the group silent as he read the morbid poem.

"That's sick," Keith said, finally and no one disagreed.

"It's going to be dark soon," Gilda whispered.

"So?"

"So, we'll need shelter, and food."

"I am hungry," Manny said.

"Well then, you heard the girl, let's get to work!" Hector clapped his hands.

"Wait, what about the rest of the poem?" Jessica asked.

"Who cares about the poem?" Manny asked, "I'm hungry!"

"Maybe we should do inventory," Annie suggested.

As it turned out, a lot of their things had washed up on shore. Gilda took inventory on a soggy notepad while Annie and Danny sorted through their belongings. A tuba, a guitar, duffel bags of clothes, and several airplane chairs where just part of the inventory.

Meanwhile, Hector, Jessica, and Keith collected bananas and coconuts from near by trees while Francine, Manny, and Lisa argued over where to build a shelter for the night.

Marcus supervised.

"You guys should move the tent a little to the left," he said, "Manny, you should lift your side higher."

"Shut up Marty Farms!" Manny snapped.

"Manny, that's not very nice, and his name is Marcus," Lisa chided.

"And Francine, move your side a little to the right," Marcus continued.

"Shut up Marty Farms!" Francine snapped.

"Francine!" Lisa admonished.

"Lisa, you might want to let Manny and Francine take care of this," said the youngest company member, "They're kinda doing better than you."

"Okay that's enough Marcus," the blonde replied, blushing as the Pranksters snickered.

"We should go exploring," Keith said, taking a bunch of bananas from Hector, "I wonder what kind of terrain this island has."

"Terrain?" questioned Hector.

"Yeah, terrain is a stretch of land, regarding its physical features," Keith supplied.

"I know what terrain means, I'm just worried about what kind of animals might be on the island," Hector replied.

"If we're even on an island," Jessica said, carrying the food back to the others, "Okay guys, dinner's served."

"Bananas?" Danny demanded, "I hate bananas!"

"I'll take them!" Manny made a grab for the fruit, before peeling it and taking a big bite.

"You took my banana!"

"Guys, calm down, there's plenty of bananas to go around," Lisa said, taking one from Hector.

"We also have coconuts," Keith added, "And they were really hard to get, so I'd appreciate someone eating them."

"Alright, somebody eat the coconuts that Keith worked very hard to get for us," Lisa instructed in a motherly tone.

"And who made you the boss of us?" Francine snapped.

Annie nodded, "Yeah, are you going be little miss bossy pants the whole time we're stuck here?"

"Bossy?!" squeaked Lisa.

"Yes, bossy, it means headstrong, found of giving orders and domineering," defined Gilda.

"I know what it means, Gilda," Lisa all but growled.

Jessica wasn't letting them talk like that to Lisa, "You guys should really watch your mouths!"

"Maybe you should watch your mouth!" Annie yelled.

"MMMFFAAHH!" Manny agreed, mouth full of banana.

Keith inched away, "Eeww."

"Guys, chill out, we're not going to get anywhere if we keep fighting!" Hector cried.

"WHO MADE YOU THE BOSS?" all the pranksters yelled at once. Except Gilda that is, she let out a half-hearted, "Yeah!" as an after thought.

"Maybe, maybe we Pranksters should just sleep on our side of the tent and you Electric Company people should sleep on your side and you can just stop bossing us around!" Francine said.

"That sounds good," Manny said.

"Excellent plan, Francine," Danny agreed.

"I'm fine with that," Keith said.

And it was decided.

Later, when just about everyone was fast asleep, Annie looked over and saw that Jessica also was still up.

"Do you know where Hector put that poem?" she asked the younger girl. Jessica nodded and fished it out of her brother's pocket.

"Eight realized how to get their fix til two hung around and then there were six."

"It sounds like we're all gonna do drugs and then two people will commit suicide." Jessica bit her lip nervously, not wanting to admit that she agreed.

"Six were proud they were still alive. One saw a bird and then there were five. Five realized they didn't want anymore. One was buried and then there were four."

"This sounds like something out of a horror story," Annie whispered.

"Yeah, this is totally something Hector would read," Jessica agreed.

"What's next?"

"Four tried to seem as happy as can be. One heard the sea and then there were three. Three pretended to have a clue. Persephone ensured there were only two."

"Wait, Persephone?" Annie asked, "Like the goddess?"

"Apparently," Jessica said, "Two seemed to be having fun. The boy got lost and then there was one."

"I really don't want to hear the end," Annie admitted. Jessica smiled.

"Good, I didn't want to read it. Let's just get some sleep."

And they did.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: Hi, guys! Look, please don't kill me. The edited version of this chapter has been in my inbox for… two years. I honestly forgot! So, I'm really sorry, but here it is!**

Gilda's eyes fluttered open first.

"What a peculiar dream," she muttered, addressing no one in particular. She sat up.

"Oh dear, it wasn't a dream."

A very loud yawn alerted her that someone else was awake. Unfortunately, it wasn't Francine or Annie or Danny, or even Manny. It was Keith.

"I was hoping it was all a dream," she informed him. He chuckled.

"I wonder how many of us will end up saying that. He stood, and for the first time, Gilda noticed how tall he was. Standing next to Hector Ruiz really did make you look short, she supposed.

"Should we wake them up?" she asked.

"Are you crazy? I don't want an angry… anybody!"

"That's true, Francine does not like it when people wake her up." Stealthily, she crept to the entrance of the tent and got outside. Keith followed.

"We're never gonna survive if we can't get everyone to get along," he said finally, breaking the silence between them. Gilda nodded.

"I suppose so, but how can we get them to resolve all their differences? I mean, this has been going on for years."

Keith pondered this for a moment.

"Well, here's all of us," he said, drawing everyone with his skill, "And everyone in The Electric Company are on good terms with each other… is the same true for you guys?"

Gilda shrugged, "mostly."

Keith nodded, "And I just don't want to see anyone get hurt, and that's where any of my tension with anyone would be."

Gilda smirked at this, knowing of another type of tension that almost everyone on this island suffered from.

"And you're just loyal to Francine, correct?"

"That's an accurate statement."

About an hour later, the two had a plan to get everyone to not hate each other. A plan that was so detailed and thought out that there seemed to be no way that it could possibly go wrong.

So, of course, everyone fought against it.

"You want us to split up by gender?" Lisa repeated, unsure that she understood.

"Exactly," Gilda confirmed, "We need to establish good will."

"And besides," Keith added, "We can't survive on just bananas and coconuts. Ideally, if we go exploring, we could find good locations for fishing."

Hector rolled his eyes.

"Keith, is this you wanting to explore the terrain?"

"No, I came up with the exploring idea. Keith wanted to build a treehouse," Gilda informed them all.

Grudgingly, they set off. The boys headed west, the girls east.

The girls had all abandoned their shoes at the tent. They were walking along the beach.

"At the very least, this gives me a good chance to tan," Francine said with a shrug as they set off.

"So," Lisa said, "How did everyone sleep last night?"

"Terribly," Annie admitted, "I had no idea Manny snored so loudly." Jessica laughed.

"You should hear Hector when he's comfortable. He got kicked out of Rhode Island for it." Annie and Gilda snickered.

Birds flew over them, being loud and obnoxious as birds often are.

"Those seagulls need to shut up," Francine complained.

"They're pelicans, actually," Jessica corrected.

"No, they're definitely seagulls," Francine insisted.

"Actually, Francine, Jessica's right. Those are pelicans."

"Really?" Lisa asked, "I could've sworn-" A look from Jessica stopped her from continuing.

Meanwhile, the boys were suffering through Marcus telling them about his uncle, the barnacle miner.

"How did we even get to this topic?" Manny asked.

"It started with that clam he named Steve," Danny told him, "Remember?"

"Look, a dolphin!" Marcus cried, pointing out to the ocean where something with a fin was swimming closer and closer to shore.

"That's not a dolphin!" Hector yelled, running closer to the trees. The other guys followed him.

"We should warn the girls!" Keith said.

"Yeah, but how?" Manny asked, "We don't have cell service out here, remember?"

"And we can't just throw a wordball," Hector added, "We don't know how far away they are."

Keith pondered this for a moment.

"Stand back," he warned them with a smile. He made a wordball.

"Didn't we just go over how that wasn't a good idea?" Marcus asked, shrill.

"Trust me," Keith said. He stretched the wordball, letting it grow to huge proportions. The sky turned dark and paper flew everywhere.

"What's with the paper?" Danny cried. Hector was more focused on collecting the paper. Manny and Marcus clung to each other. When the wordball reached the size of a small child, Keith flung it into the air. As it hit the sky, thunder crashed.

"Congratulations, Keith!" Danny yelled, "You created a storm!"

Rain began to fall in sheets, and they ran deeper into the woods for cover.

"Into the woods, it's time to go. It may be all in vain, you know. Into the woods- but even so, I have to take the journey," Danny and Keith sang.

"Guys, now is not the time for singing!" Hector snapped, "We need to find the girls!"

"Exactly," Danny said, as if explaining something simple to a child, "No one can resist that song when they're in the woods."

"I can," Manny said. Danny hushed him.

"And if everyone sings loudly, we'll be able to find each other."

So, grudgingly for some, the boys continued to sing.

"Into the woods. The path is straight, I know it well, but who can tell? Into the woods to lift the spell. Into the woods to visit Mother. Into the woods to fetch the things- to make the potion- to go the Festival-"

"AAAHHH!" Marcus screamed. They all turned around to see that the youngest of their group had fallen of a root.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Keith asked.

"I think there's something wrong with my ankle," the younger boy replied.

"We have to keep going," Danny reminded them.

Hector picked up his young friend and they continued running.

Back with the girls, they had found a hot spring and had given up on running. Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched… something.

"That sounds like the guys," Lisa said.

"Why would they be singing?" Gilda asked.

"Their minds work in strange ways," Annie said, "Danny probably convinced them that it was a good idea."

"AAAAGONY!" came from the trees. Annie smirked.

"MISERY!"

"WOE!"

"Guys, you can stop singing; we're right here!" Jessica called out.

The boys came from out of the trees.

"Marcus tripped," Hector said before anyone could ask why he was carrying an eleven-year-old.

Gilda stood next to Keith, "So much for that plan."

"I guess this means we can build that tree house now!" Keith replied, cheerful.

"Marcus, please hold still and let me look at your ankle," Lisa calmly, trying to examine the squrming twelve year old.

"Is it broken? Am I going to die!?" Marcus's pitch and volume raised with each question.

"Hopefully," Manny muttered to Francine, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay Marcus, It just looks like a sprain," Lisa patted his arm, "Hector, we'll need to get him back to camp so I can wrap it with some of the recovered clothes."

"Then we can start on a more permanent shelter!" Gilda chimed in.

Keith high fived her.


End file.
